Decency

Frankie & the Heartstrings

Decency - Very Good, Based on 5 Critics

AllMusic - 80Based on rating 8/10

80

Sometimes a band can be so enamored of a specific sound that, despite their brilliant execution, it can become a bit predictable. So it's refreshing to see a band like Britain's Frankie & the Heartstrings bravely transform their sound, as they do on their third full-length effort, 2015's Decency. Produced by Hookworms frontman MJ, this album finds the previously post-punk devotees exploring a punchy Motown soul vibe.

Head here to submit your own review of this album. Frankie & The Heartstrings are a band caught in the middle of trying to still finalize their sound. Their third album, Decency, was released on July 10th. There are catchy hooks, power-pop guitars, horns, and plenty of clichéd one-liners. But ….

Having marked the release of their second album The Days Run Away by opening a pop-up record shop for a fortnight, Frankie & The Heartstrings will be repeating the process for their new record Decency. That glib little sentence doesn’t even tell a fraction of the story though, because what has happened in the intervening period is a life-affirming tale of a small group of dedicated people working their arses off to make their home city a better place for people. The initial idea of Pop Recs Ltd Mk I seemed on the surface to be a fun and imaginative little gimmick geared towards finding a solution to a problem faced by all bands, namely the perpetual struggle for people’s attention.

There’s a certain breed of arch indie rock that belongs peculiarly to the north, one that plays wit, studied weakness and flashy intellectualism against a backdrop of rugged industrial history – your Pulps, your Long Blondes, your Smiths, Pastels and Maximo Parks.Sunderland’s Frankie And The ….

Forming in 2008, Frankie And The Heartstrings have built up a loyal fanbase without ever being on the receiving end of much critical acclaim. After their single "Hunger" propelled the band into the limelight, as is sadly the case with the majority of acts based in the North East of England - neglected purely because industry 'experts' (for politeness sake) think of the North only as Manchester - the road to success has been longer than it should be. Hats off, then, to Frankie and the boys for and ploughing through the drudgery of indifference to get to album number three.